EXPLANATION OF HEAD-BANDS
DESIGN OF TITLE PAGE. Butterflies and birds, known as cho tori.
[CHAPTER ONE]. The flower and leaves of the peony (botan), as conventionalized on ancient armor (yoroi).
[CHAPTER TWO]. Fan-shaped leaves of the icho or gin nan (Salisburiana), placed in books in China and Japan to prevent the ravages of the bookworm.
[CHAPTER THREE]. The design called “Dew on the Grass and Butterflies” (tsuyu, kusa ni cho).
[CHAPTER FOUR]. The pattern (moyo) known as bamboo and the swelling sparrow (take nifukura susume). The parts of the bird are amusingly conventionalized—in the Korin manner. The word fukura written in Chinese contains the lucky character fuku (happiness).
[CHAPTER FIVE]. Maple leaves are associated with Ten Jin (Sugiwara Michizane), patron of learning. Children in invoking his aid in a little prayer count the points of the maple leaf, saying, “yoku te agaru”—assist us to be clever. In Japanese the maple leaf is called kaide, meaning frog's hand.
[CHAPTER SIX]. The chrysanthemum pattern.
[CHAPTER SEVEN]. The water-fowl design, called midsu tori.